Headed to the Mission Field

Wow! 7 weeks has gone so fast yet slow... Do you know what I mean? My Elder (Cole) went into the MTC  almost 7 weeks ago. He left a young man full of life to take on the world and learn the French language.
Over the last weeks I have watched him grow. As a person, spiritually and I am in awe. I giggle when his e-mails started to have french mixed into them. I would have to ask one of my kids what the word was since they all took french. Crazy thing is not quite the same. His wisdom and growth has shown through in his letters. But his personality still showed as well. I loved that.

If I was lucky I would catch his e-mails coming through and be able to chat between emails briefly. To get a couple of things answered etc. It was nice. I know that may not happen. I thought before he went out that I would miss that. I had forgotten to schedule myself off on Monday which I thought would be his pday. But it ended up being Tuesday which I was off every week. :)

He sent an e-mail last week saying that he didn't get his visa. It was earlier than normal which I thought okay it had to be because of that. He was going to spend his time in Washington Everette mission which was his cousins old mission and a friends mission now. My heart stopped. I was sitting in my car when Eve got out and I was alone. I prayed out loud that I would know what to say and he would be okay with everything. Well all I put back was "what do you think?" It took him awhile to respond but I heard back was " God knows where he needs me. I guess I am needed in Washington." That soothed my heart. For two reasons one I wouldn't worry about him having a hard time dealing with the change. 2. He was completely going with the spirit on this one. Don't get me wrong. I am sure he was disappointed but didn't tell me.
His letter home as a group mentioned he had been working on his Christlike trait of Hope. That him being temporarily reassigned was for him to have HOPE!
That was something I wouldn't have thought about. Later that day I got another email from him saying he really hadn't been pulling our legs but he checked the mail and found his Visa had been approved after all and he was headed out. He sent me a picture of his travel plans. I looked and saw it had Dec 1 as a leave date but said for him to report on Dec. 2. hmm I asked about it and he said the travel office told him to report on Dec. 2.
He said he told me so I would have peace. Plus I think he knew I was already going crap.. he needs winter clothes. And I was freaking out a little to get clothes together for him.  But he swore me to keep it a secret. And I did! Until Friday. He wanted to send everyone one last letter from his final pday on saturday Nov. 29.
On the 28th I received a sweet message from Cyndi She is Cole's best friends mom. He calls her momma Perry. Telling me she was sending he son who works at the MTC to go get sizes and sending him to the store to buy him clothes. She realized he wouldn't have the proper clothes. What a stinking sweet thing to do. I had to spill the beans to her. He was okay with that.

I missed his first email Saturday night I was at work and it was at shift change. I was so upset. Than on my way home I hear my phone ding that means I have a message from him. I pull off the highway and look at the e-mail.  I drive a little farther and it dings again. Of course I did what any sane person would do I pulled off and waited to finish e-mailing him.
Than headed home.

Thankfully I had today and tomorrow off. Alex and Sebastian and I had ran to Toys R Us for a christmas gift. Alex and I had been taking turns charging our phones. We got home and I was cooking dinner when a number comes on that I don't recognize. I answer and to my surprise it was Cole ! My sweet Elder! He was suppose to be on the plane this morning. He missed it  Yep! So he was sitting at the SLC airport 5 hours before his plane due to one of the drivers being sick. He catches a plane tonight to JFK than on to Trinidad! He says after Trinidad and the mission home he island hops till he gets to Guadaloupe.  He barely made weight on his bags. Well they actually told him his carry on is a couple of lbs too heavy but let him slide.
We spent an hour and half talking to him. I spoke to him, Alex spoke to him and Sebastian did. Eve said hi I love you and bye. I think that bothered him. He asked why she didn't talk to him. I had to tell him she couldn't do it without crying.  Malcolm missed his phone call. but Cole tried calling him and left him a message. It was so good to talk to him. To just hear his voice. But I think I loved watching the 2 younger boys talk to him. And listen to their conversation.
Alex was very talkative. He has grown just as much as Cole has with Cole leaving. He has been forwarding Cole's letters on to other teachers who said it brightens their day. When Alex told him this Cole said to read 1st Galatians 5:22  he related this to that scripture. And something he told Alex to do. Not sure what Couldn't hear that part.  I loved how he was quoting scriptures to them. He asked Sebastian how seminary was going. I think he knew they weren't going. He told him how he wanted them to go. Sebastian has had no desire to go. He said they needed to be working on scripture mastery too. I could tell it was harder for Sebastian to talk to him.
Part of the conversation Alex told Cole that he shared with stuco lockin that his two older brothers were more like his father than his own dad. That Cole being gone was like his father being on a mission. :) As I listened to Cole on the phone to both boys he sounded like a big brother with fatherly advice. What a change this young man has made in 7 weeks. By the time I got the phone back he had to go.

He said he will call tomorrow in the morning. I have such mixed emotions from the call tonight. When I first hung up I didn't know what to do. It was a hard moment for me. But I had such joy at the same time. What an amazing adventure he is starting. This chapter in his life will be so wonderful and such a learning experience for him. He says he is truly working on becoming more christlike. Boy the changes I can see in him. I can't wait to see what the Lord has for him. I asked what he would do in his layovers. He said talk to people, read and avoid watching the TV's. Maybe there is a reason for not being on the first flight.

What a blessing it is to be a Missionary Momma. Loving every minute of it. Even the hard parts.